The lithe shadow hated the winter. It was always unnecessarily cold and due to his thin physique, even with his winter coat, he was almost always shivering. Last year the snow had nearly claimed his life after he had wandered too far from the willows and lost track of where he was. His brother and a packmate had found him nearly frozen to death—if he had been out in the cold any longer by himself he certainly would have died.

And, for whatever reason, even though he despised the cold, Greer found himself stalking toward the mountain. Since the season’s had changed the boy had remained closer to the dens and kept a watchful eye on the pups to ensure they didn’t repeat his actions from the previous year. However, the longer he remained at camp the more restless he became. There had also been a recent shift in power and Greer wasn’t sure how to feel about it. First, his mother had stepped down due to his health, allowing his sister to take her place. And then his brother, Skoll, had taken the position as alpha male from his father. The shadow still wasn’t sure whether or not it would be beneficial for the Ridge wolves… his brother was most associated with a loose cannon. He was incredibly intelligent—all Archer’s were—but he was also impulsive and bold.

With each passing day his home was beginning to feel less like home and more like a stranger’s house. Due to his observant nature and ability to blend into the shadows, it seemed as though the ghostly Hecate had also taken a liking to the new leader. A disgruntled sigh fell through his lips at the thought, followed quickly by a shake of his head. How had his brother gone from being at the bottom, almost exiled from the pack, to being on top? No wonder Hecate was fond of him…

He did not want to stress on issues that remained in the trees. He had sought out the heights to clear his mind—and potentially bump into a little red-head that possessed the power to turn his mood around. Greer had always been a wolf of the forest, but as the days went on he couldn’t help but wonder what life on the mountain would be like. Continuing forward, the boy moved with quiet determination, his silver eyes narrowed as he studied the rocks before him. He believed he was going in the right direction to find the tree stump where he had first encountered Kyna—it had been so long, he was worried he had forgotten…

As the boulders grew more and more familiar (how a rock could be committed to memory, when they all looked the same, amazed the shadow) he realized he was getting closer to the tree stump where he had first met he golden princess. At first she had been reluctant to talk to him and retreated within its cavern, but the longer they remained in each other’s presence, the more comfortable she had gotten around him. When it had come to the two parting ways Greer had been reluctant; he wanted to stay on the mountain with his new friend, even though he knew he had to get back to the trees. It was an odd predicament that the smudge had been falling into since his meeting with the mountain princess—along with a few other strangers both before and after meeting Kyna. As much as he wanted to remain a part of the Ridge and watch his younger siblings grow, along with the pack, he also wanted to be a part of something else… something new… something different.

‘Greer!’ He didn’t even have to search for a scent to know who it was. A soft smile appeared on his dark lips, lighting up his usual stoic features as he slowed his pace. Silver eyes immediately lit up as the (much bigger!) red-tinged princess appeared and he offered a long swish of his tail in greeting as she bumped his nose with her own. “Greer said he come back. So Greer here.” Obviously, he snapped at himself once the words dripped off his tongue. “Too long. How Ky doing?” It really had been too long. The slender boy had meant to make a trip up to the heights sooner, but with the leadership changes within Willow Ridge, Greer thought it would be better if he remained closer to his family. Up until now.

He couldn’t deny the warm feeling that surged through his chest at her comment (and the accompanying kisses). Greer did not know the first thing about having friends—his self-inflicted isolated childhood made it difficult for the prince to connect with others. Not that he wanted to; he was at peace with his solidarity.

However, two exceptions had made their way into his life and the shadow prince was unsure how to feel about it.

As the redhead responded his dark lips dipped into a frown, his head tilting to the side as he studied her expression. “What happen?” He asked gently, his silver gaze soft as he met her fiery pools. Greer was curious as to what had happened to her in the Plateau. Partly because she was his friend and he did care about her, and partly because her home was where he wanted to relocate.

A shrug came as an initial response to her question, the frown only deepening against his maw. “Greer… ok.” Another shrug followed, mercury gaze downcast as he glanced at his paws, ears flat. “Willows ok, too. Too much change. Greer doesn’t like,” he added absentmindedly, voice soft, as he glanced at the willow trees in the distance. “Greer think… Greer leave soon.” He stopped, lips tight. Would Kyna even want him to join her pack? He did not want to impose on her life; he wanted to make one for himself—he wasn’t able to do that in Willow Ridge. 

As always, the yearling listened with patient ears. There were very few wolves that he was close to outside of his family—even fewer that he trusted. Greer was happy keeping to himself, minding his own business and refusing to allow unnecessary words to fall from his tongue. This made him an exceptional listener—especially for his exceptional friend sitting before him. Kyna was one his only exceptions of those he trusted and cared for outside his family. There were more times than he would like to admit when he caught himself thinking about her when he was surrounded by the willows—how she was doing, what she was doing…

With a soft gaze, his stone-coloured gaze studied the red-head with an affectionate glance. It upset him to hear that she felt as though she was not important anymore. He gave a hard shake of his head at her words, refusing to believe that she was anything but important. “But—but Ky important,” he started, the words stuttering uncharacteristically off his tongue. “Ky-dad not leave her. Nobody leave Ky. Ky too important to leave,” he finished, his voice feverish as he spoke. He desperately wanted the redhead to understand how wonderful and charismatic she was—how nobody could abandon her and that she would still be of value despite not having her father sitting on the throne. “Greer not want Ky think that. Not good.” 

It seemed as though his plan backfired. He had attempted to elevate the mood and let the red-head know that she truly was important, regardless of if the wolves in her life thought differently. He thought she was important — and her father must as well, or else he would not have stepped down from his position as leader. His pigeon-grey eyes blinked slowly as the girl confessed that her mother had left her behind, his features softening. “Greer sorry,” he responded quietly, his voice barely above as a whisper as he shuffled closer to his friend, hoping to offer some sort of  comfort to Kyna. He wasn’t good at showing his emotions — in fact, he preferred to pretend as though he had none — but he had to try. For Kyna.

“Ky-mom miss out…” he started lamely, his lips curling into a gentle frown as he adverted his gaze. “Not realize Ky important. Ky-mom loss.” Well done, idjit. It would be so much easier to comfort his friend if he was able to speak properly…

Her voice cause him to return his gaze to her slender body, his stone-coloured eyes adjusting to her russet fur. He nodded, slowly, in understanding. There was too much change in the Ridge, also. So much that it was making him doubt that Willow Ridge was still home. It did not feel like home. There was so much going on that Greer was often blind to any occurrences within the willow borders. A sigh of relief exhaled from him as his friend snuggled into his obsidian fur, a warmth seeping through his body at her touch. He briefly pressed his cold nose to the middle of her forehead, a faint smile folding open against his dark lips. “Greer always come back. Greer promised.” And he would hold onto that promise, no matter where they were or what pack they belonged to; the shadow would always find his way to his flame, the one light he would never shy away from. “Change… good. Sometime. Give chance before decision.” Perhaps her father stepping down would mend their relationship; strengthen it. In the case of his own father stepping down… Greer wasn’t sure if his brother rising to power was all that good of an idea. Things seemed… darker.